https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=141.101.104.49&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T15:42:35ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1165:_Amazon&diff=92740Talk:1165: Amazon2015-05-07T22:23:44Z<p>141.101.104.49: </p>
<hr />
<div>I believe it is not about {{w|Amazon Forest}}, but about {{w|Amazon River}}. {{unsigned|194.85.224.35}}<br />
:That'd be a ridiculous amount of rain! [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.53|173.245.54.53]] 06:42, 30 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
;Skeletonize a cow<br />
<br />
Isn't there an urban myth that pirahnas can skeletonize a cow in under 2 minutes? [[Special:Contributions/81.138.95.57|81.138.95.57]] 10:32, 25 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:According to [http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/piranha-eat-cows1.htm], it's not myth - you only need few nets and few hundreds of piranhas. It was not mentioned how far they needed to go to get that number of piranhas, but I would suppose setting up that kind of practical joke can't take more that few days. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:55, 25 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does Amazon sell beef by any chance? I mean: while amazon.com can probably ship a package from Iquitos to Manaus, the Amazon can only nearly, because Manaus is situated a few kilometers upstream of a river branch where the package from Iquitos would float by. Makes me think whether there is a similiar comparison with skeltonized cows. Hence beef. [[Special:Contributions/46.142.28.57|46.142.28.57]] 15:25, 25 January 2013 (UTC) madd<br />
<br />
:There was a TV programme of the Michael Palin type that took a boat trip up or down the Amazon. One of the fish mentioned in the river could strip the meat off a cow in seconds. It was a deep water dweller, not the common piranha and "IIGC" a bottom feeder so its normal cuisine was "probably" already done to falling off the bone. I saw this programme once long long ago.<br />
<br />
If the package was being delivered by dugout on the river its speed could well exceed the 4 to 6 or more knots likely experienced in mid channel. (I seem to recall figures in the region of 8 to 12 knots.)<br />
<br />
"lost it at 'Minutes to skeletonize a cow'." sounds like food for thought being off-putting. The stripping would not have been done by an Amazon courier as slaughtering a cow takes a lot longer by human than the minutes suggested here. The time that it would have had to lose would be considerably more than minutes considering the likely gain that a canoe piloted at mid channel as constantly as possible would make Amazon.com a lot faster even if the canoe was just drifting and not under power.<br />
<br />
A package drifting in the Amazon would quickly get entangled in the growth along the banks and might even, on occasion, drift up-stream[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 17:48, 11 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Reason for comparison<br />
<br />
I think the main reason for this comparison is the dispute over the .amazon TLD between Amazon.com on one side and Brazil and Peru on the other. --[[Special:Contributions/176.101.146.145|176.101.146.145]] 11:38, 25 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I assume you mean this article (or alike): http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2242994/Brazil-Peru-web-giant-Amazon-battle-amazon-domain-name.html<br />
[[Special:Contributions/78.52.195.25|78.52.195.25]] 09:40, 28 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Indeed, they are comparing who is “more worth” the domain name and this comic shows how to compare them --[[Special:Contributions/176.101.146.145|176.101.146.145]] 19:12, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
Just want to say that I always thought it was a mistake to add to the (generally) three-character traditional non-geographic TLDs that they used to have. This despite buying myself a .info when that first came out, mostly as a novelty similar to the acre of Moon. (But .aero? .museum? Really?) Still, can't begrudge them the drift to non-Western characters (just wish it'd been ''direct'' non-Western equivalents to .com, .org, .mil, .gov, etc... Anyway, what's wrong with just letting each national TLD logically and self-consistently expand upon their own existing standards (.co.uk, .com.au, etc) in a manner the locals would understand, and let significant metanational organisations (UN) do the same for their own subset of responsibilities in their own pseudo-national TLD. (You see, I over-think these things.) [[Special:Contributions/178.105.155.170|178.105.155.170]] 16:20, 28 March 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
;Is anyone else thinking what I am?<br />
<br />
Its been a while since Munroe has given something seriously good/thoughtful.... I am getting the inner feeling that he is planning something big. Like '''''BIG '''''. Anyone here concurs with me? [[Special:Contributions/117.194.86.32|117.194.86.32]] 14:18, 25 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I will second that. It has been a while since he has had any labour intentive jokes. [[Special:Contributions/72.38.90.50|72.38.90.50]] 16:57, 25 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
;Rounds 1-13<br />
<br />
Am I the only one who wants to know what the other 11 criteria might be? [[Special:Contributions/71.201.53.130|71.201.53.130]] 19:10, 25 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
No. But we know 3 of them, right? So we just need 10 more. [[Special:Contributions/117.194.83.200|117.194.83.200]] 18:52, 28 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
We need 11 more. This is criterion 14, and we know 3 of them including this one. [[Special:Contributions/71.201.53.130|71.201.53.130]] 22:46, 29 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Confused<br />
"Of course, it would take slightly longer for Amazon.com to skeletonize a cow because the death ray takes time to heat up."<br />
I don't like being more confused after reading the explain than before. What death ray? [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 14:54, 16 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
:I thought it was just a joke that doesn't really have any deeper meaning? Hmm... Now I'm curious too ._. [[User:SuperSupermario24|<span style="color: #c21aff;">Just some random derp</span>]] 21:28, 1 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I am pretty sure it's just a joke. But who writes these explanations? (Now that I posted this, will you amazon people let me go?) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.49|141.101.104.49]] 22:23, 7 May 2015 (UTC)</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1133:_Up_Goer_Five&diff=92729Talk:1133: Up Goer Five2015-05-07T15:20:15Z<p>141.101.104.49: </p>
<hr />
<div>Isn't this comic essentially just saying 'rocket science: not actually as complicated as the phrase "it's not rocket science" would have us beleive'{{unsigned|203.211.80.97}}<br />
<br />
This comic is also a celebration of what many people, presumably including former NASA employee Randall, consider the greatest technological achievement ever. {{unsigned|158.169.131.14}}<br />
:Nope, Randall thinks delivery pizza is the most important thing humanity ever achieved (http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/638:_The_Search). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.49|141.101.104.49]] 15:20, 7 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm surprised "ship" isn't among the most commonly used words in English. Where do these statistics come from? [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 12:35, 12 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:It makes sense that "capsule" and "spaceship" (as one word) are not in the "ten hundred" most-common words (Really, "thousand" isn't on this list either?), but not "fuel" and/or "tank"? People (context: US Midwesterner) talk about filling up their cats all the time! I'd like to see the original 1,000-word list. (Also: "Up Goer"? Well, it goes up -- that's about ALL it does. Makes sense, I guess.) --BigMal27 // [[Special:Contributions/192.136.15.149|192.136.15.149]] 13:13, 12 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Maybe is Randall referring to [[wikipedia:Simplified Technical English|Simplified Technical English]]? — [[User:Ethaniel|Ethaniel]] ([[User talk:Ethaniel|talk]]) 14:09, 12 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
:There is an entry in the Simple English Wikipedia: http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_English . The Simple English Wikipedia is interesting to browse, and challenging to write articles for. [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 14:24, 12 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
:: Look up Basic English. It is the 850 most used words (or rather the 850 most used words when it was invented in 1930). According to Wikipedia it is still used in some countries as the basic vocabulary to first teach in English. The list of words is here: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Basic_English_word_list . It looks like this could be what he used.i[[User:Carewolf|Carewolf]] ([[User talk:Carewolf|talk]]) 17:30, 14 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
::: The 850 Basic English word list includes "liquid" and "second" but does not include "world", "five" and "third" so we're still looking for the vocabulary list.<br />
I'm inclined to think this is also a nod to 1984's {{w|Newspeak}}, and the dumbing-down effect of an ''overly'' {{w|controlled language}}. It's good to simplify (linguistic) complexity, but with that simplification of text comes a simplification of capacity, too. We push back horizons by exploring unknowns, so restricting things to a small set of knowns may be counterproductive. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 15:13, 12 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
:This is the very point I am trying to make time and again. Some topics cannot be correctly explained to everyone. BTW XKCD #547 had a similar point.<br />
<br />
::I think that's a very unfortunate "point" to be trying to make time and time again. My personal feelings aside, it goes against Randall's and xkcd's ethos, as well. Just as in law or any other specialized area, an expert, given a reasonable amount of time, thought, and vocabulary, should be able to explain even very complex ideas to lay persons. If there's a failure to do so, the burden should rest with the explainer. And frankly, that failure might even expose some lack of understanding on the explainer's end, as well. I have discussed this in greater depth below. [[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 09:10, 19 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The comic is almost certainly using http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Basic_English_word_list or another work list like it.[[Special:Contributions/82.16.27.115|82.16.27.115]] 16:58, 12 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The phrase in the explanation "Helium is much less prone to catching fire" brought a smile to my lips as there is literally <SIC> nothing less prone to catching fire than Helium. [[Special:Contributions/90.208.12.4|90.208.12.4]] 23:10, 12 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:<s>Unfortunately some pedant has changed it to the technically correct, but much less smile-inducing "inflammable". Pitty, it made me smile too.</s> [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 23:22, 12 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Edit: I've reverted it, because the whole edit was fraught with incorrect minor changes. 23:27, 12 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Inflammable is '''wrong'''. It means the same as flammable. If you mean 'incapable of burning', the opposite of flammable/inflammable is ''nonflammable''. This is one of the subtleties of English which is avoided by using a greater number of simple words! [[Special:Contributions/87.252.61.205|87.252.61.205]] 13:01, 13 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::I wouldn't say Helium is least prone to catching fire. Sure, it's least prone to chemical reaction, but it is prone to nuclear fusion, which looks sort of like fire. On the other hand Iron, while it can be oxygenated, doesn't really catch fire doing that and I doubt it can chemically react in a way which would look that way. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:42, 14 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Fire is strictly defined as the rapid oxidation of a substance in the presence of heat - nuclear fusion is transmutation, not combustion. Iron can undergo a thermite reaction which makes spectacular flying flames. Youtube should have a billion videos of thermite reactions for your perusal. [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]]<br />
<br />
:::Fine steel wool (such as 0000 grade) burns exceedingly well. A survival technique is to use flashlight batteries to make a spark in the steel wool, which then becomes an excellent fire starter.<br />
<br />
Since the comic can't use the actual words, it took me some time to find Wikipedia's articles that describe the actual "up goer." In case there's anybody like me who wanted to know more details, I found the {{w|Apollo (spacecraft)}} and {{w|Saturn V}} articles to be very interesting and relevant. BTW, "that stuff they burned in lights before houses had power" is {{w|RP-1|highly refined kerosene}}. [[User:S|S]] ([[User talk:S|talk]]) 00:34, 13 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Thanks for doing the research! I've incorporated this into the explanation. Feel free to add more if you think it needs more. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 01:33, 13 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::I like your additions. Much better than what I could come up with! [[User:S|S]] ([[User talk:S|talk]]) 23:44, 14 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It would be pretty nice for a day if everyone just spoke using the most used thousand words in his respective language. Just off hand, describing the band name "Led Zeppelin" would certainly be a treat--[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 18:10, 13 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Anyone who will not be fired off trying to only speak the most used thousand words for workday is working manually or not at all. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:42, 14 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Or is a school teacher, or working primarily with people who have language difficulties...<br />
<br />
I think NASA should rebrand themselves "US Spaaaaaace Team" it's so much cooler than the "National Aeronautics and Spaaaaaace Administration"! --[[User:NHSavage|NHSavage]] ([[User talk:NHSavage|talk]]) 07:39, 15 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I have not once heard the word "goer" before this. Thousand most common? [[Special:Contributions/67.52.144.154|67.52.144.154]] 16:22, 15 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Randall used the verb "to go" and as it's a verb, any conjugation could be considered the same word. I think that's where he got "goer" from. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:29, 15 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
::Well, not a conjugation, a different part of speech. That's a slightly more extreme leap than a change of inflection, but probably still allowable for these purposes. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 15:18, 3 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Someone has made an "Up-Goer Five Text Editor", with a link to a (the?) ten-hundred wordlist: http://splasho.com/upgoer5/. [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 18:46, 21 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm having trouble believing that lift off is not on the common word list. [[User:DruidDriver|DruidDriver]] ([[User talk:DruidDriver|talk]]) 01:55, 23 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''On language and explaining'''<br />
<br />
Strongly disagree with the contention at the beginning of this explanation that "This comic is a commentary on the absurdity of boiling down technical explanations for lay people..." On many occasions Randall de-jargonizes/simplifies complex ideas so that they can be understood by most anyone. Heck, he dedicates an entire blog (whatif) to it. In this interview with fivethirtyeight.com, (http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/xkcd-randall-munroe-qanda-what-if/) among others, Randall explains that lay persons, given enough time, patience, and the correct guidance, should be able to understand most any scientific/technical idea. <br />
<br />
To wit: "It’s tempting to think of technical audiences and general audiences as completely different, but I think that no matter who you’re talking to, the principles of explaining things clearly are the same. The only real difference is which things you can assume they already know[.] ... I’m always looking for ways of looking at problems — mental models — that make the answers intuitively clear. Once I’ve hit on one of those, '''I just try to explain it as simply and clearly as I can[.]'''" <br />
<br />
Accordingly, I have altered the explanation to reflect this world view. The point of this comic is to illustrate that one should be able to explain complicated ideas to people who lack a technical background using simple language. Granted that Randall is imposing upon himself an unreasonable "ten hundred word" linguistic restriction, but I think that only goes to further his point. Unless the "explainee" is being unreasonably obtuse, the burden falls upon the shoulders of the explainer to help a non-lay audience understand. [[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 08:53, 19 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
If you don't go to spaaaaaace today, you need more struts[[User:Steammaster|Steammaster]] ([[User talk:Steammaster|talk]]) 18:43, 19 January 2015 (UTC)</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1060:_Crowdsourcing&diff=92540Talk:1060: Crowdsourcing2015-05-05T23:10:10Z<p>141.101.104.49: </p>
<hr />
<div>Even better is when you can repackage an existing open-source program and sell it for a tidy profit. It happens. '''[[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:42, 8 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
I personally like to think Cueball's audience are potential investors and that Cueball is trying to convince them to fund his "company" [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.49|141.101.104.49]] 23:10, 5 May 2015 (UTC)</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1516:_Win_by_Induction&diff=912771516: Win by Induction2015-04-26T21:21:29Z<p>141.101.104.49: Its has been shown(meowth) that any pokemon can learn to speak like humans, and given how much trouble Cueballs opponent has put into this, it is higly probable that he has also trained them to mimic this simple phrase</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1516<br />
| date = April 24, 2015<br />
| title = Win by Induction<br />
| image = win by induction.png<br />
| titletext = This would be bad enough, but every 30th or 40th pokéball has TWO of them inside.<br />
}}<br />
{{Incomplete|Citations in explanation and trivia}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In the {{w|Pokémon}} franchise, human characters called Trainers capture fantastical creatures from the wild, the titular Pokémon (a shortened form of "Pocket Monsters"), and train them to battle one another. Pokémon are captured and stored in devices called Poké Balls, which shrink the creatures down to pocket size (hence "Pocket Monsters"). The anime's dub has enshrined the phrase "''<Pokémon's name>'', I choose you!" into popular culture memory. When Trainers do battle, they often shout this phrase while throwing the ball to the ground, releasing the Pokémon at full size.<br />
<br />
In this comic, a Pokémon chosen at some point was a {{w|Pikachu}}, which does not intend to engage in the battle himself. Instead, the Pikachu chooses another Pikachu to fight for him. This process then repeats itself. Behind the Pikachu with the Pokéball is a long line of other Pikachu, suggesting that this process has been going on for a while.<br />
<br />
Nearby stands [[Cueball]], holding a closed Pokéball, and [[Megan]], looking at her watch. This suggests that Cueball intends to have his own Pokémon fight the Pikachu, but is waiting to see which enemy his Pokémon must face before the battle can actually begin (waiting in vain, if the above described process repeats indefinitely), while Megan is growing impatient with the delay. Given that Cueball is holding a closed Pokéball he has not deployed yet, Megan cannot herself be his Pokémon. She could be his opponent, or a spectator.<br />
<br />
The joke in this comic comes from analogy with the mathematical {{w|proof by induction}}, which is a proof with a base case, followed by a never ending sequence of steps. Each step leads to the next, thus proving something for all cases. This title seems to suggest that the process of Pikachu choosing Pikachu will not end, effectively postponing the battle indefinitely. <br />
<br />
The name "induction" comes from logic and discrete mathematics, and is thus unrelated to the physical phenomena of {{w|electromagnetic induction}}; but the fact that Pikachu is an "Electric-type" Pokémon could be a word play connecting the two ideas.<br />
<br />
If there were always only a single Pikachu in each Pokéball, this would spawn an unlimited number of Pikachu growing at a linear rate. Since, as the title text notes, there are occasionally two of them in a Pokéball, this would lead to exponential growth assuming each of the spawned Pikachu in this case is bearing a Pokéball!<br />
<br />
Pikachu was used in one of the storylines of [[1350: Lorenz]]. See all the attack moves it made [[1350:_Lorenz#Pok.C3.A9mon|here]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[There's a long queue of Pikachu extending out of the frame to the left. They are all just out from their ball, at least the last eight Pikachu's open balls lie in two parts on the ground at their feet. They are standing in front of Megan and Cueball. Cueball is holding a closed pokéball while Megan checks the time on her watch. The frontmost Pikachu, holding a closed pokéball, speaks.]<br />
<br />
:Pikachu at the front: Pikachu, I choose ''you!''<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*For some reason Pikachu is drawn without its lightning shaped tail.<br />
*In Pokémon canon, Pokémon are only allowed to hold on to an ''empty'' Pokéball when stored in a Pokéball.<br />
*In Pokémon canon, only one Pokémon can exist in a pokeball.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Video games]]<br />
[[Category:Pokémon]]</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:870:_Advertising&diff=91240Talk:870: Advertising2015-04-25T21:16:17Z<p>141.101.104.49: </p>
<hr />
<div>But the Geico commercial doesn't say up to, it says 15% or more... ~Jfreund<br />
:That may depend on your region. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.30|108.162.216.30]] 03:24, 30 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Saying that something "could save you 15% or more" and saying it "could save you ''up to'' 15% or more" are the same thing. Both statements take into account the very real possibility that some percentage less than 15 could be saved.[[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 13:37, 21 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Not to mention that Geico says "'''Could''' save you..." (In combination with "up to", the "could" should be "will".) [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 03:09, 18 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
A justification for "The more you buy, the more you save" is that the more discounted products you buy, the more money you save as opposed to buying them at list price. For things we will buy anyway (e.g. food), it may be true. --[[User:Troy0|Troy0]] ([[User talk:Troy0|talk]]) 20:01, 6 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Added to the article. --[[User:Troy0|Troy0]] ([[User talk:Troy0|talk]]) 04:10, 25 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
::It doesn't work when the items can expire. [[User:Cflare|Cflare]] ([[User talk:Cflare|talk]]) 14:38, 14 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::it does to a certain point- my family can eat a lot of food before it expires, especially if it's something we like. {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.163}}<br />
<br />
Brilliant comic Randall. I wonder what your next one is about.<br />
<br />
[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 00:20, 24 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Doesn't the title text imply that Randall realised nothing is truly free and concluded that Santa wanted something from him, prompting his parents to reveal the big secret? (I conclude this based on Randall claiming that these two events are related) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.49|141.101.104.49]] 21:16, 25 April 2015 (UTC)</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=373:_The_Data_So_Far&diff=88951373: The Data So Far2015-04-07T21:01:38Z<p>141.101.104.49: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 373<br />
| date = January 21, 2008<br />
| title = The Data So Far<br />
| image = the data so far.png<br />
| titletext = But THIS guy, he might be for real!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
There are often people who claim to have supernatural powers, but then when their powers are tested by some sort of experiment, the experiment refutes their claims. This comic summarizes all the data from such experiments, observing that given the data, it's very unlikely that supernatural powers actually exist.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to a person who has claimed to have supernatural powers, and suggests that he might really have such powers. This invokes the fact that absence of evidence is not the same as evidence of absence, although there has never previously been a confirmed example of a person with superpowers this does not prove that this is certainly impossible. However the graph above suggests that, although not impossible, such an event would be highly unlikely. No matter how much evidence we collect there is always some positive (but vanishingly small) chance, that some person may hold supernatural powers.<br />
<br />
Alternatively the title text explains that even though there is no reason to believe anyone has any super powers, some people are always ready to believe the next one to claim so - very naive - and the exact opposite meaning of the one described above. Knowing [[Randall]]'s comic, this seems more likely. In this case the two other comics mentioned has no relation to this comic.<br />
<br />
The title itself may be a reference to the TV show {{w|Supernatural (U.S. TV series)|Supernatural's}} recap segment, "The Road So Far."<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Bar graph titled "Claims of Supernatural Powers" and has two sets of data. The first data set is labeled "Confirmed By Experiment", and is empty. The second data set is "Refuted By Experiment" and goes to the top of the graph.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:296:_Tony_Hawk&diff=88295Talk:296: Tony Hawk2015-04-03T18:32:58Z<p>141.101.104.49: Created page with "Although it probably is, in my opinion it is nowhere implied that this would be bad idea #270 ~~~~"</p>
<hr />
<div>Although it probably is, in my opinion it is nowhere implied that this would be bad idea #270 [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.49|141.101.104.49]] 18:32, 3 April 2015 (UTC)</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:249:_Chess_Photo&diff=87969Talk:249: Chess Photo2015-04-01T22:05:28Z<p>141.101.104.49: </p>
<hr />
<div>I've seen pictures of people doing this before I met xkcd, and I just read the confirmation at knowyourmeme.com that Randall started this. This is friggin' amazing.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.235|108.162.210.235]] 15:07, 17 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Comics Missing!--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.8|108.162.250.8]] 10:38, 5 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Could you compile these at the community portal? I'll see what I can do about this. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:16, 5 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
::It's 5 in the morning, and this fixed now. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:03, 5 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The last sentence has always been upsetting me and never found the time to comment/correct: Blindfold chess doesn't require any actual blindfold, it's just called that way because the two players don't need a board and just communicate their moves. Therefore, the "blindfold" is not redundant, it is rather the simplest way to play chess on a roller coaster. --[[46.5.2.144]] 22:07, 16 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Updated. Anyone cares enough to check it?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.49|141.101.104.49]] 22:05, 1 April 2015 (UTC)</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:249:_Chess_Photo&diff=87968Talk:249: Chess Photo2015-04-01T22:04:31Z<p>141.101.104.49: </p>
<hr />
<div>I've seen pictures of people doing this before I met xkcd, and I just read the confirmation at knowyourmeme.com that Randall started this. This is friggin' amazing.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.235|108.162.210.235]] 15:07, 17 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Comics Missing!--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.8|108.162.250.8]] 10:38, 5 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Could you compile these at the community portal? I'll see what I can do about this. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:16, 5 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
::It's 5 in the morning, and this fixed now. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:03, 5 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The last sentence has always been upsetting me and never found the time to comment/correct: Blindfold chess doesn't require any actual blindfold, it's just called that way because the two players don't need a board and just communicate their moves. Therefore, the "blindfold" is not redundant, it is rather the simplest way to play chess on a roller coaster. --[[46.5.2.144]] 22:07, 16 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Updated. Anyone cares enough to check it?</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=249:_Chess_Photo&diff=87883249: Chess Photo2015-04-01T20:39:16Z<p>141.101.104.49: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 249<br />
| date = April 16, 2007<br />
| title = Chess Photo<br />
| image = chess_photo.png<br />
| titletext = We once tried playing blindfold chess on the Aerosmith ride at Disney World.<br />
}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
A {{w|roller coaster}} is a kind of thrill ride where a small train carries people through a number of twists, turns, and hills at a high speed to the occupants' great delight. Such rides are popular at amusement parks where people have to wait in long lines to get on a ride that can last less than two minutes.<br />
<br />
Many amusement parks have a spot where they take souvenir pictures as you are experiencing the ride. After you get off the ride, you can buy one, or a set to commemorate riding the roller coaster. These pictures usually have people with their hands up, yelling and screaming. Wind may be going through their hair as they pass through the air at high speeds. <br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] is subverting the usual 'souvenir picture pose' by gluing chess pieces to a board and then staring at the board when the picture is taken. He [https://allthetropes.orain.org/wiki/Dissonant_Serenity stands out in the picture as a calm person] studiously studying a chess problem while everyone else yelps and whoops with excitement.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to blindfold chess, which doesn't require any actual blindfold, it's just called that way because the two players don't need a board and just communicate their moves. This would of course be impossible to photograph.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball sits at a desk with glue, chess pieces, and a chessboard while a friend looks over his shoulder.]<br />
:Friend: What are you doing?<br />
:Cueball: Gluing down chess pieces.<br />
:Friend: Why?<br />
:Cueball: Because there's a picture I've always wanted... I'll need your coat to sneak this onto the ride.<br />
:[A photograph of a roller coaster ride with Cueball sitting in the first car, chin in hand, thinking over the chessboard. The photograph has "Mega Coaster 3000 souvenir photo" written on the margin.]<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*This comic [http://xkcd.com/chesscoaster/ inspired people to try this in real life], to awesome effect.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Chess]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=471:_Aversion_Fads&diff=72610471: Aversion Fads2014-07-31T11:52:22Z<p>141.101.104.49: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 471<br />
| date = September 3, 2008<br />
| title = Aversion Fads<br />
| image = aversion_fads.png<br />
| titletext = Hey, are you friends with any hamsters? This kite needs a passenger.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
To start, {{w|furry|furries}} are people who are extreme animal "fans". Typically these are depicted as anthropomorphic cartoon or anime animals, but could also be real animals. And so, fans of said cartoons act out as their favorite animal by wearing ears and/or tails, sometimes building full fursuits to wear. Of course, there are a significant number of furries who take their interest even further, being very open about their more "intimate" interests, and even engaging in such acts with other people in real life, sometimes even in their fursuits (which may be specifically designed for such "adult" uses). This has caused other people to view furries in general with disgust.<br />
<br />
Here, we see [[Cueball]] and a friend, who are grossed out that there is a furry (noted by the kid's fox ears and tail) near them. [[Megan]] then calls for the furry to help her with her kite. The way this turns out, she also thinks that furries are "weird as hell", but she is also irritated by the fact that a lot of people on the Internet are involved with a lot of weird things that may gross out or otherwise offend the general population, yet the Internet in general frequently mocks furries for engaging in essentially the same things. This hypocrisy bothers the woman, so she takes whatever opportunity she has to defend furries, who are, after all, people of the Internet.<br />
<br />
Hearing this, the furry brings up {{w|The Lion and the Mouse|the fable of the lion and the mouse}} (from {{w|Aesop}}). This fable talks about a lion who spares a mouse from being eaten, since the mouse's promise that he would repay the lion gave the lion a good laugh. In the story, the lion later gets caught in a trap and the mouse chews through the cords, freeing the lion. The furry now has a debt to repay Megan, but before we can get to that Megan curtails the simile, preferring not to use an animal-bondage-based analogy which might possibly arouse the furry.<br />
<br />
In the title text, Megan realizes that her kite needs a passenger. So, she asks the furry if he has any hamster friends. Being a furry, this could be either real hamsters (which could be tied to the kite), or people who enjoy dressing as a hamster (which would probably be too large to be tied to the kite and remain buoyant). This may be a reference to [[20: Ferret]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Two guys stand together as a young guy dressed up with small ears and a tail approaches.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh God, a furry. Don't let it touch you.<br />
<br />
:[The furry hears someone call out to him.]<br />
:Off-screen: Hey, kid.<br />
<br />
:[Megan is seen preparing a kite to be flown.]<br />
:Megan: Forget those assholes. Come help me.<br />
<br />
:[The furry begins to help Megan set up the kite.]<br />
:Furry: Thanks. So you're cool with furries?<br />
<br />
:Megan: Well, I think your fetish is weird as hell. It just bothers me how you're this designated Internet punching bag among people who are otherwise down with weird fetishes. So I stick up for you when I can.<br />
<br />
:[The kite now successfully up in the air, the two continue.]<br />
:Furry: Well, thanks. I owe you one.<br />
:Megan: It's no big deal.<br />
<br />
:Furry: No, this is like the lion and the mouse.<br />
:Megan: ...Listen, can we pick a comparison less likely to turn you on?<br />
:Furry: Sorry.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Furries]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=471:_Aversion_Fads&diff=72609471: Aversion Fads2014-07-31T11:51:01Z<p>141.101.104.49: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 471<br />
| date = September 3, 2008<br />
| title = Aversion Fads<br />
| image = aversion_fads.png<br />
| titletext = Hey, are you friends with any hamsters? This kite needs a passenger.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
To start, {{w|furry|furries}} are people who are extreme animal "fans". Typically these are depicted as anthropomorphic cartoon or anime animals, but could also be real animals. And so, fans of said cartoons act out as their favorite animal by wearing ears and/or tails, sometimes building full fursuits to wear. Of course, there are a significant number of furries who take their interest even further, being very open about their more "intimate" interests, and even engaging in such acts with other people in real life, sometimes even in their fursuits (which may be specifically designed for such "adult" uses). This has caused other people to view furries in general with disgust.<br />
<br />
Here, we see [[Cueball]] and a friend, who are grossed out that there is a furry (noted by the kid's fox ears and tail) near them. [[Megan]] then calls for the furry to help her with her kite. The way this turns out, she also thinks that furries are very weird, but she is also irritated by the fact that a lot of people on the Internet are involved with a lot of weird things that may gross out or otherwise offend the general population, yet the Internet in general frequently mocks furries for engaging in essentially the same things. This hypocrisy bothers the woman, so she takes whatever opportunity she has to defend furries, who are, after all, people of the Internet.<br />
<br />
Hearing this, the furry brings up {{w|The Lion and the Mouse|the fable of the lion and the mouse}} (from {{w|Aesop}}). This fable talks about a lion who spares a mouse from being eaten, since the mouse's promise that he would repay the lion gave the lion a good laugh. In the story, the lion later gets caught in a trap and the mouse chews through the cords, freeing the lion. The furry now has a debt to repay Megan, but before we can get to that Megan curtails the simile, preferring not to use an animal-bondage-based analogy which might possibly arouse the furry.<br />
<br />
In the title text, Megan realizes that her kite needs a passenger. So, she asks the furry if he has any hamster friends. Being a furry, this could be either real hamsters (which could be tied to the kite), or people who enjoy dressing as a hamster (which would probably be too large to be tied to the kite and remain buoyant). This may be a reference to [[20: Ferret]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Two guys stand together as a young guy dressed up with small ears and a tail approaches.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh God, a furry. Don't let it touch you.<br />
<br />
:[The furry hears someone call out to him.]<br />
:Off-screen: Hey, kid.<br />
<br />
:[Megan is seen preparing a kite to be flown.]<br />
:Megan: Forget those assholes. Come help me.<br />
<br />
:[The furry begins to help Megan set up the kite.]<br />
:Furry: Thanks. So you're cool with furries?<br />
<br />
:Megan: Well, I think your fetish is weird as hell. It just bothers me how you're this designated Internet punching bag among people who are otherwise down with weird fetishes. So I stick up for you when I can.<br />
<br />
:[The kite now successfully up in the air, the two continue.]<br />
:Furry: Well, thanks. I owe you one.<br />
:Megan: It's no big deal.<br />
<br />
:Furry: No, this is like the lion and the mouse.<br />
:Megan: ...Listen, can we pick a comparison less likely to turn you on?<br />
:Furry: Sorry.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Furries]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=453:_Upcoming_Hurricanes&diff=72606453: Upcoming Hurricanes2014-07-31T09:03:40Z<p>141.101.104.49: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 453<br />
| date = July 23, 2008<br />
| title = Upcoming Hurricanes<br />
| image = upcoming_hurricanes.png<br />
| titletext = I'd like to see more damage assessments for hurricanes hitting New York and flooding Manhattan -- something like the 1938 Long Island Express, but aimed a bit more to the west. It's just a matter of time.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
It must have been {{w|Atlantic hurricane season|hurricane season}} in the United States! <br />
<br />
This comic gives some ideas on upcoming {{w|Tropical cyclone|hurricane}} paths on an unlabelled map that shows the region roughly between central {{w|Canada}} and northern {{w|Brazil}}. Red dotted lines indicates possible hurricane paths.<br />
<br />
''Hurricane Where-The-Hell-Is-Bermuda'' enters from the east side of the map, wanders around the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}} in a scribble that seems to take the shape of an {{w|Ampersand}}. Then it goes north for a while, and then peters out without entering the {{w|Bermuda Triangle}}. The Bermuda Triangle is a location in the Atlantic Ocean loosely framed by the three corners {{w|Bermuda}}, {{w|Miami}} and {{w|Puerto Rico}}. The myth is that (too) many ships and planes get lost once they enter inside the area of this triangle and disappear without a trace. In this case the hurricane get lost before entering and can't even find the triangle.<br />
<br />
''Hurricane Illinois-Has-It-Too-Easy'' comes from somewhere to the north-west, goes through {{w|Illinois}}, and then back to the north-west. This hurricane, while actually impossible, comes from Canada to strike {{w|Chicago}}, Illinois, before heading back to Canada. As hurricanes never hits Illinois this particular hurricane "think" they have too easy a time in this particular state. Interestingly enough, (though it did not affect the Chicago area or correspond with the path displayed in the comic), roughly one year later a {{w|Derecho|Super derecho}}, a storm resembling a hurricane or tropical storm in movement and form, struck central and South Illinois, in addition to much of {{w|Missouri}} and {{w|Kansas}}: {{w|May 2009 Southern Midwest derecho}}.<br />
<br />
"Hurricane Freud" refers to {{w|Sigmund Freud}}, who believed that accidental sexual expression was a reflection of the unconscious mind's sexual desires. The hurricane's path forms a pair of testicles beside Florida. Florida, due to its shape and location, can be said to resemble a penis, and the hurricane's shape and position exemplify Freud's ideas.<br />
<br />
''Hurricane Screw-It-Let's-Just-Trash-Florida-Again'' comes from the east, starts to curve to the north, and then turns sharply to head straight for Florida and zigzag through it four times before dying out. Sticking out from the rest of the US, Florida is in a nice spot to get hurricanes from the East, South, and West. And with the state not being very high or wide, it is common for a hurricane to run over Florida, lose some strength, then rebuild strength over the hot waters in the Gulf of Mexico, only to do a U-turn and strike again. This is not exactly what happens with this particular hurricane, where it turns out into the Atlantic Ocean again each time. Just proving that it only wish to strike Florida!<br />
<br />
''Hurricane Red'' and ''Hurricane Blue'', (which are the only hurricane path drawn in blue), are playing a game zipping in straight lines and right angles around {{w|Haiti}}, {{w|Jamaica}}, and {{w|Cuba}}. When ''Red'' successfully cuts off ''Blue'', the latter instantly dies, and then ''Red'' dies shortly thereafter. The game they play is the game of {{w|Tron_(video_game)#Light_Cycles|Light Cycles}} from the {{w|Tron_(video_game)|video game}} based on the movie {{w|Tron}}. ''Hurricane Blue'' lost because it crashed into the wall of light left by ''Hurricane Red's'' {{w|Light_Cycle#Light_cycles|light cycle}}.<br />
<br />
''Hurricane Cos(x)'' forms a curve in the shape of a {{w|sinusoid}} above the bottom edge of the map. Its path resembles a {{w|sine}} wave. This kind of {{w|trigonometric functions}} can, however, both be expressed as sin(x) or cos(x), the latter being a {{w|cosine wave}}. They look exactly the same when there is no clearly defined coordinate system as in this case - see [[#Trivia|trivia]] below. <br />
<br />
The title text refers to the {{w|1938 New England hurricane}} (also known as the Long Island Express), that in 2013 caused $4.7 billion in damage. Had it been further west it could have caused more damage as the right side of a hurricane is stronger and more destructive than the left side as the winds on the right side push water inland. [[Randall]] asks for more damage assessments for such a hurricane that which would be able to flood {{w|Manhattan}} in {{w|New York}}. Almost prophetically for this comic, {{w|Hurricane Sandy}} did strike the {{w|New York metropolitan area|New York–New Jersey area}} only four years after this cartoon was published, causing an estimated $74 billion in damage. <br />
<br />
The 1938 hurricane is also [[980:_Money/Transcript#Disasters|referenced]] in [[980: Money]] where it is calculated that it would have caused $78 billion had it happened in 2011. However, if that hurricane had taken the same turn as Sandy did, the cost today could have been a staggering $237 billion.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[An unlabelled map shows the region roughly between central Canada and northern Brazil. Dotted lines indicating hurricane paths cover the map, all red except Hurricane Blue which is blue. Each line is labelled - here follows the labels as they appear from the top and down:]<br />
:Hurricane Where-the-Hell-Is-Bermuda<br />
:Hurricane Illinois-Has-It-Too-Easy<br />
:Hurricane Freud <br />
:Hurricane Screw-It-Let's-Just-Trash-Florida-Again <br />
:Hurricane Red <br />
:Hurricane Blue <br />
:Hurricane cos(x)<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Regarding Hurricane cos(x):<br />
**If {{w|Equator}} is the x-axis and the y-axis goes through the {{w|Prime meridian}} of {{w|Prime meridian (Greenwich)|Greenwich}} it would be possible to say if this was a true cosine function hurricane. <br />
**A cosine would be 1 (the maximum value) at x=0 (i.e. the maximum value would occur under {{w|Greenwich}}), whereas a sine would be 0 at x=0. <br />
**If it had been a basic cos(x) without any constants added, then it should have been centered along the equator instead of as it is - ranging from about 5.5° to 9.5° north {{w|latitude}}. <br />
**But if the formula was of the form a*cos(b*x)+c with a, b and c given constant, the wave could move to the center of this range with c=7.5°. With the constant a=2° the wave would move between the max and minimum of the range, and then b could be chosen to make the wave length fit with the path shown in the map.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Hurricanes]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Penis]]</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=339:_Classic&diff=72374339: Classic2014-07-27T10:17:52Z<p>141.101.104.49: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 339<br />
| date = November 7, 2007<br />
| title = Classic<br />
| image = classic.png<br />
| titletext = Someone get that Pachelbel's Canon kid a recording contract, stat.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] listens to the song "{{w|Stairway to Heaven}}" performed by {{w|Led Zeppelin}} using an old {{w|phonograph}}. After the song fades out to the end he is impressed and states that modern music is far away from that {{w|Baby-boom generation|Baby Boomer generation}} publications. <br />
<br />
The title text refers to the {{w|Pachelbel's Canon}} and all that modern interpretations shown up on {{w|YouTube}}. Younger people need to support talented musicians from their own generation.<br />
<br />
The title of this comic refers also to {{w|Classical music}}, artworks still remembered after hundreds years after the creation. Modern music will be forgotten after a few years. But the "Baby Boomer generation" did create many still today well known musicians as following but not limited to:<br />
*{{w|Led Zeppelin}}<br />
*{{w|The Who}}<br />
*{{w|Deep Purple}}<br />
*{{w|Genesis}}<br />
*{{w|The Doors}}<br />
*{{w|Pink Floyd}}<br />
*{{w|Janis Joplin}}<br />
*{{w|Jimi Hendrix}}<br />
*{{w|The Rolling Stones}}<br />
*{{w|Stevie Ray Vaughn}}<br />
*{{w|Creedence Clearwater Revival}}<br />
*{{w|Grateful Dead}}<br />
*{{w|The Beatles}}<br />
*...<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is sitting in front of a turntable, listening to Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin.]<br />
:Song: And as we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our soul<br />
<br />
:Song: When all is one and one is all, to be a rock and not to rooooll<br />
<br />
:Song [fading away]: And she's buying a stairway to Heaven<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Man. The Baby Boomers are kicking our <u>ASSES</u>.<br />
:Cueball: We need to get it together, guys.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Music]]</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=339:_Classic&diff=72373339: Classic2014-07-27T10:16:52Z<p>141.101.104.49: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 339<br />
| date = November 7, 2007<br />
| title = Classic<br />
| image = classic.png<br />
| titletext = Someone get that Pachelbel's Canon kid a recording contract, stat.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] listens to the song "{{w|Stairway to Heaven}}" performed by {{w|Led Zeppelin}} using an old {{w|phonograph}}. After the song fades out to the end he is impressed and states that modern music is far away from that {{w|Baby-boom generation|Baby Boomer generation}} publications. <br />
<br />
The title text refers to the {{w|Pachelbel's Canon}} and all that modern interpretations shown up on {{w|YouTube}}. Younger people need to support talented musicians from their own generation.<br />
<br />
The title of this comic refers also to {{w|Classical music}}, artworks still remembered after hundreds years after the creation. Modern music will be forgotten after a few years. But the "Baby Boomer generation" did create many still today well known musicians like following but not limited to:<br />
*{{w|Led Zeppelin}}<br />
*{{w|The Who}}<br />
*{{w|Deep Purple}}<br />
*{{w|Genesis}}<br />
*{{w|The Doors}}<br />
*{{w|Pink Floyd}}<br />
*{{w|Janis Joplin}}<br />
*{{w|Jimi Hendrix}}<br />
*{{w|The Rolling Stones}}<br />
*{{w|Stevie Ray Vaughn}}<br />
*{{w|Creedence Clearwater Revival}}<br />
*{{w|Grateful Dead}}<br />
*{{w|The Beatles}}<br />
*...<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is sitting in front of a turntable, listening to Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin.]<br />
:Song: And as we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our soul<br />
<br />
:Song: When all is one and one is all, to be a rock and not to rooooll<br />
<br />
:Song [fading away]: And she's buying a stairway to Heaven<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Man. The Baby Boomers are kicking our <u>ASSES</u>.<br />
:Cueball: We need to get it together, guys.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Music]]</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=869:_Server_Attention_Span&diff=72353869: Server Attention Span2014-07-26T20:38:58Z<p>141.101.104.49: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 869<br />
| date = March 7, 2011<br />
| title = Server Attention Span<br />
| image = server_attention_span.png<br />
| titletext = They have to keep the adjacent rack units empty. Otherwise, half the entries in their /var/log/syslog are just 'SERVER BELOW TRYING TO START CONVERSATION *AGAIN*.' and 'WISH THEY'D STOP GIVING HIM SO MUCH COFFEE IT SPLATTERS EVERYWHERE.'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic shows - in human language - part of the conversations that a browser and web server do in order to get the right page. The protocol they use is called {{w|Hypertext Transfer Protocol|HTTP}}.<br />
<br />
This comic makes fun of the issue that many webservers that see a mobile browser will automatically suggest to load the mobile version of the website, but then serve the front page of the mobile site, not the page the user had requested. In quite a few sites, there is no 1-to-1 correspondence of pages between the regular and the mobile site, so this problem is difficult to solve and very annoying.<br />
<br />
A second issue with HTTP is identified in the last pane. HTTP is a {{w|stateless protocol}}. After serving the web page, the connection is severed. Any new request for a page will have to start afresh - which is where the server starts with again: "Hi! I'm a server!" Of course, browsers do not have egos nor do they hold grudges but it can be annoying for users. This design issue can also slow down the browsing experience.<br />
<br />
The title text is a joke that all the other servers in the rack think the web server is being childish. <tt>/var/log/syslog</tt> is where Linux and other posix systems store their system log messages. The 'trying to start conversation' comment is probably a joke on {{w|Address Resolution Protocol|ARP}} discovery packets that are sent out to the network to see who is who. All servers send out ARP packets to see what other machines are on the network, but some machines send them out every 5 minutes, which can be extremely annoying for someone monitoring network traffic logs.<br />
<br />
The coffee comment is another jab at web servers. Some websites use {{w|java}}, or other {{w|jvm}} based languages ({{w|Grails}}, {{w|Scala}}, etc) as the back end of the website, as opposed to using {{w|PHP}} or {{w|Active Server Pages|ASP}}. Of course, java is another word for coffee, so a web server running on coffee is likely to be well-caffeinated, and well-caffeinated people tend to bounce off the walls with enthusiasm.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Single blade in a server rack.]<br />
:Server: Hi! I'm a server! Who are you?<br />
<br />
:[Mobile device with a web browser.]<br />
:Browser: I'm a browser. I'd like to see this article.<br />
<br />
:Server: Oh boy! I can help! Let me get it for— ...Whoa! You're a ''smartphone'' browser?<br />
<br />
:Browser: Yeah.<br />
:Server: Cooool! Hey, I've got this new mobile version of my site! Check it out! Isn't it pretty?<br />
<br />
:Browser: Sure, but this is just your mobile site's main page. Where's the article I wanted?<br />
<br />
:Server: What article?<br />
:Browser: The one I—<br />
:Server: Who are you?<br />
:Browser: I—<br />
:Server: Hi! I'm a server!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=278:_Black_Hat_Support&diff=72325278: Black Hat Support2014-07-25T21:01:58Z<p>141.101.104.49: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 278<br />
| date = June 18, 2007<br />
| title = Black Hat Support<br />
| image = black_hat_support.png<br />
| titletext = So as not to leave you hanging -- it was a problem with select() calls.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Hackers are stereotypically divided into 3 types, "{{w|White hat (computer security)|white hat}}" (good guys) "{{w|Gray hat|gray hat}}" (in between) and "{{w|Black hat hacking|black hat}}" (bad guys). The "black hat" hacker is a hacker who "violates computer security for little reason beyond maliciousness or for personal gain."<br />
<br />
This strip portrays [[Black Hat]] providing support for {{w|Linux}}, but in fact he provides only annoying and unhelpful advice just for his own personal amusement.<br />
<br />
The support line is clearly for Linux, as stated in the introduction, and the client on the phone clearly has a Linux problem. However, Black Hat is intentionally giving irrelevant instructions that refer to the Windows OS (Start Menu, My Documents Folder).<br />
<br />
Finally, Black Hat asks the client on the phone to "bear with him" and suggests that the client should use a highly obsolete mechanism to look for the answer to his problem, namely AOL keywords. {{w|AOL}} is well known for producing one of the earlier {{w|online communities}} and has since fallen largely out of favor. The client hangs up the phone.<br />
<br />
The title text mentions the function [http://linux.die.net/man/2/select select()] which allows you to write asynchronous IO access routines by checking if it is ready to be read/written to at a specific moment. This is different than a threaded model in that it can happen in a single thread. The danger of such programming is that if you do not coordinate the reader/writer properly you can create a dead lock which can result in the consumption of a lot of resources.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Black Hat is sitting at his computer, wearing a phone headset.]<br />
:Black Hat: Thank you for calling the Black Hat Support Line, your first source for Linux support. How may I assist?<br />
:Phone: Hi. I'm running an Apache server, and the load keeps climbing out of control.<br />
:Black Hat: Okay. First, click on the Start Menu.<br />
:Phone: I'm sorry, this is the Linux helpline, right?<br />
:Black Hat: Of course, Sir.<br />
:Black Hat: If you'll just open the "My Documents" folder-<br />
:Phone: Just a damn minute, I think you're putting me on.<br />
:Black Hat: Please bear with me, Sir.<br />
:Black Hat: Now, load up your AOL and go to the Keyword "Linux"-<br />
:Phone: *click*<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Linux]]</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=278:_Black_Hat_Support&diff=72324278: Black Hat Support2014-07-25T21:00:51Z<p>141.101.104.49: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 278<br />
| date = June 18, 2007<br />
| title = Black Hat Support<br />
| image = black_hat_support.png<br />
| titletext = So as not to leave you hanging -- it was a problem with select() calls.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Hackers are stereotypically divided into 3 types, "{{w|White hat (computer security)|white hat}}" (good guys) "{{w|Gray hat hacking|gray hat}}" (in between) and "{{w|Black hat hacking|black hat}}" (bad guys). The "black hat" hacker is a hacker who "violates computer security for little reason beyond maliciousness or for personal gain."<br />
<br />
This strip portrays [[Black Hat]] providing support for {{w|Linux}}, but in fact he provides only annoying and unhelpful advice just for his own personal amusement.<br />
<br />
The support line is clearly for Linux, as stated in the introduction, and the client on the phone clearly has a Linux problem. However, Black Hat is intentionally giving irrelevant instructions that refer to the Windows OS (Start Menu, My Documents Folder).<br />
<br />
Finally, Black Hat asks the client on the phone to "bear with him" and suggests that the client should use a highly obsolete mechanism to look for the answer to his problem, namely AOL keywords. {{w|AOL}} is well known for producing one of the earlier {{w|online communities}} and has since fallen largely out of favor. The client hangs up the phone.<br />
<br />
The title text mentions the function [http://linux.die.net/man/2/select select()] which allows you to write asynchronous IO access routines by checking if it is ready to be read/written to at a specific moment. This is different than a threaded model in that it can happen in a single thread. The danger of such programming is that if you do not coordinate the reader/writer properly you can create a dead lock which can result in the consumption of a lot of resources.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Black Hat is sitting at his computer, wearing a phone headset.]<br />
:Black Hat: Thank you for calling the Black Hat Support Line, your first source for Linux support. How may I assist?<br />
:Phone: Hi. I'm running an Apache server, and the load keeps climbing out of control.<br />
:Black Hat: Okay. First, click on the Start Menu.<br />
:Phone: I'm sorry, this is the Linux helpline, right?<br />
:Black Hat: Of course, Sir.<br />
:Black Hat: If you'll just open the "My Documents" folder-<br />
:Phone: Just a damn minute, I think you're putting me on.<br />
:Black Hat: Please bear with me, Sir.<br />
:Black Hat: Now, load up your AOL and go to the Keyword "Linux"-<br />
:Phone: *click*<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Linux]]</div>141.101.104.49https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=182:_Nash&diff=72103182: Nash2014-07-22T04:33:26Z<p>141.101.104.49: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 182<br />
| date = November 10, 2006<br />
| title = Nash<br />
| image = nash.png<br />
| titletext = Maybe someday science will get over its giant collective crush on Richard Feynman. But I doubt it!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The first panel references a scene in the movie {{w|A Beautiful Mind (film)|A Beautiful Mind}} in which {{w|John Forbes Nash, Jr.|Dr. John Forbes Nash, Jr.}} comes up with his famous concept of {{w|Nash equilibrium}} when he realizes that they get suboptimal results if all the guys go after the same hot girl. The second panel deconstructs the idea by having Dr. Nash point out that staying away from the hot girl does not actually constitute a stable Nash equilibrium. The third panel has physicist {{w|Richard Feynman|Dr. Richard Feynman}} render the entire discussion moot by taking all the girls while the mathematicians ponder optimal strategies.<br />
<br />
Feynman shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 for his important work in {{w|quantum electrodynamics}}. Feynman wrote {{w|Richard Feynman#Popular works|popular books}} and gave public lectures. These presented his work advanced theoretical physics to the general public, a practice that was not very common at that time. One of his more famous books, ''Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!'' gives many personal anecdotes from his lifetime, and it contains a passage giving advice on the best way to pick up a girl in a bar.<br />
<br />
The aforementioned public books and lectures brought him great attention in the media, and his exceptional results in physics coupled with this have led to his getting an almost [http://articles.latimes.com/2001/dec/02/magazine/tm-10496 cult-like following] among scientists. He's also (largely due to his book) known as something of a womanizer. Thus why he would take several women home at once.<br />
<br />
The title text explains that [[Randall]] wonders whether this "collective crush" (crush as in love affair) will fade away one day, but he doubts it. Great respect for Feynman continues to this day, even though he died about a quarter-century ago.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and Dr. Nash stand talking to each other. Cueball is pointing off-panel.]<br />
:Cueball: Hey, Dr. Nash, I think those gals over there are eyeing us. This is like your Nash Equilibrium, right? One of them is hot, but we should each flirt with one of her less-desirable friends. Otherwise we risk coming on too strong to the hot one and just driving the group off.<br />
:Dr. Nash: Well, that's not really the sort of situation I wrote about. Once we're with the ugly ones, there's no incentive for one of us not to try to switch to the hot one. It's not a stable equilibrium.<br />
:Cueball: Crap, forget it. Looks like all three are leaving with one guy.<br />
:[Dr. Nash shakes his fist.]<br />
:Dr. Nash: Dammit, Feynman!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]</div>141.101.104.49